For the Halloween 2022 my family and I decided to dress as characters from the Harry Potter movies. In this blog post, I’m going to describe how to make a Sybill Trelawney outfit (a brown sweater) I will be wearing for this occassion ;). (Sybill is a fortune-teller and professor at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry) teaching divination – insights into future events.
In this tutorial you will learn:
- How to modify an existing pattern to draft the sweater
- How to sew the sweater
In this blog post, I will describe how to modify an existing pattern in order to make a pattern for the brown sweater.
To sew a professor Trelawney sweater you will need the following:
- Existing basic hoodie or t-shirt pattern with a set-in sleeve
- Brown cable knit fabric
- Brown fringe trim
Pick a hoodie pattern with no darts that is one-two size larger than you normally wear. This way you will achieve a baggy look of the sweater.
How to modify an existing pattern to draft the sweater?
I bought this pattern from a Czech seamstress. You can take any sewing pattern you have used already for sewing a hoodie. For kids, I like to use basic patterns from this publication (Pattern Making for Kids’ Clothes).
In the image below you can see the hoodie I’m going to work with. It is a fitted one with a standing collar, pockets and a zipper.
1. Choose a pattern size and go for 1or 2 sizes larger than you usually choose to sew your garments. I wear XS or S, therefore, I picked M.
2. Get rid of all unnecessary parts of the pattern. These can be collars, hoods, pockets or facings. All you will need are the FRONT, BACK and SLEEVE pattern pieces (see the image below).
3. If the hoodie is a fitted one with curved side seams (like mine), redraw these and make them straight (see the images below). Make sure that after adjusting, the FRONT and back BACK pieces have the same side seam length. If your pattern has already straight side seams, proceed to the next step.
As you see, a small piece of the pattern at the FRONT and BACK is ‘cut off’ at the hem. Do not worry about this, your pattern should be large enough to accommodate your hips.
4. The sweater hem should end in the middle of your thigh. Measure the length you need to add to the pattern piece to make the sweater long enough. I added about 25 cm /10” to the bottom of the FRONT and BACK pattern pieces (see the image below).
5. Shorten the sleeves. They should be about 20 cm (8”) long. After you have adjusted the sleeve length, make sure that the sleeve side seams are the same length.
6. At this phase your pattern for professor Trelawney’s sweater is ready and should look something like this (see the image below). You can transfer it to your fabric.
Do not forget to add seam allowances to your modified pattern pieces.
How to sew professor Trelawney’s sweater?
1. Cut out all the pattern pieces and finish all seam allowances. In the image below you can see all the pattern pieces with finished fabric edges.
2. Using a straight stitch, sew together the FRONT and BACK pattern pieces at the sides and shoulders. At this phase you should be able to put the sweater on.
3. Sew together the side seams of each sleeve and hem the sleeves. I used a single-fold hem to do so. Now, they should be prepared to be fixed to the bodice. The images below show a prepared sleeve.
4. Pin the right sleeve to the right armhole and the left sleeve to the left armhole, then sew with a straight stitch. Check that the side seams of the bodice match the side seams of the sleeve on the right side (see the image below).
No need to mention that you are going to sew the sleeve from the WRONG side.
5. Now attach the fringe trim to the hem of the sweater. As the fabric may be quite thick, sew it directly onto the RIGHT side of the hem using a simple zig-zag stitch. Make sure you use a thread matching the colour of the trim (see the images below).
After you have sewn the fringe trim, the sweater should look similar to this (see the image below).
6. As the last step, fold, pin and sew the edges of the bodice with a straight stitch (see the images below).
Now, the sweater is ready! See also other parts of professor Trelawney’s outfit such as her orange headband, skirt or leg warmer/socks.
In the images below you can see the complete professor Trelawney costume and all individual parts of it.
